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Archive Report: Allied Forces

Compiled from official National Archive and Service sources, contemporary press reports, personal logbooks, diaries and correspondence, reference books, other sources, and interviews.
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18 OTU
18 OTU Wellington Ic T2717 P/O. Roman Balicki

Operation: Bremen

Date: 25/26th June 1942 (Thursday/Friday)

Unit: No. 18 Operational Training Unit. 91 Group

Type: Wellington Ic

Serial: T2717

Code: XW-C

Base: RAF Bramcote, Warrickshire

Location:

Pilot: P/O. Roman Balicki 783422 PAF Age 22. Missing - believed killed

Obs: F/O. Franciszek Kusek P/0675 PAF Age 33. Missing - believed killed

W/Op/Air/Gnr: Sgt. Juliusz Brunon Lech-Pierożyński 784000 PAF Age 30. Missing - believed killed

W/Op/Air/Gnr: Sgt. Kazimierz Cacko 792203 PAF Age 36. Missing - believed killed

Air/Gnr: Sgt. Józef Emil Franciszek Jaskiewicz 782281 PAF Age 22. Missing - believed killed

REASON FOR LOSS:

For the third and final 1,000 bomber raid, 904 Main Force bombers and OTU aircraft plus 102 Hudsons and Wellingtons from Coastal Command were dispatched to attack Bremen between 01:20 and 02:25 hrs. 117 Fighter Command, 2 Group Bomber Command, and Army Co-Operation Command intruder sorties supported the raid to keep the Luftwaffe night fighters on the ground.

Out of a total of 1,123 sorties despatched, 50 Bomber Command heavies' plus eight Coastal, Fighter and Army Co-Operation Command aircraft were lost.

It appears that the large scale intruder effort, which patrolled and attacked 17 Luftwaffe airfields in the Low Countries and North Western Germany, was largely ineffective.

The attack on Bremen was to be another 1000 bomber operation although only 960 aircraft were available in the end. Targets for the operation included the Focke Wulf factory, A.G. Weser shipyard, Deschimag Shipyard and others attack the town and dock areas.

The bomber force reported back that 696 aircraft managed to bomb their targets - 572 houses destroyed, 6,108 damaged, 85 people killed with 497 injured. 2,378 people were bombed out of their homes.

T2717 was hit by Flak of 6./M. Flak Abt. 246 battery Terschelling-Ost, crashed in flames in sea off Terschelling at 03:50 hrs.

Above: the crew is shown in the order of the crew listing.

Burial details:

P/O. Roman Balicki. Polish War Memoriał. Born on the 29th November 1919 in Jasło, Poland. Next of kin details are currently not available - are you able to assist completion of these and any other information?

F/O. Franciszek Kusek. Polish War Memoriał. Born on the 13th August 1908 in Jażwiny, Dębica, Poland. Next of kin details are currently not available - are you able to assist completion of these and any other information?

Sgt. Juliusz Brunon Lech-Pierożyński. Polish War Memoriał. Born on the 25th February 1912 in Bracław, Ukraine. Next of kin details are currently not available - are you able to assist completion of these and any other information?

Sgt. Kazimierz Cacko. Polish War Memoriał. Born on the 19th January 1916 in Homel, Belarus. Next of kin details are currently not available - are you able to assist completion of these and any other information?

Sgt. Józef Emil Franciszek Jaskiewicz. Polish War Memoriał. Born on the 12th March 1920. From Kalisz, Poland. Next of kin details are currently not available - are you able to assist completion of these and any other information?

Researched and dedicated to the relatives of this crew with thanks to Dr. Theo E.W. Boiten Nachtjagd Combat Archives 1942, part 3, Robert Gretzyngier, Wojtek Matusiak, Waldemar Wójcik and Józef Zieliński - 'Ku Czci Połeglyçh Lotnikow 1939-1945', Archiwum Mielnika,

Other sources as quoted below:

KTY 22-02-2023

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Acknowledgements
Sources used by us in compiling Archive Reports include: Bill Chorley - 'Bomber Command Losses Vols. 1-9, plus ongoing revisions', Dr. Theo E.W. Boiten and Mr. Roderick J. Mackenzie - 'Nightfighter War Diaries Vols. 1 and 2', Martin Middlebrook and Chris Everitt - 'Bomber Command War Diaries', Commonwealth War Graves Commission, Tom Kracker - Kracker Luftwaffe Archives, Michel Beckers, Major Fred Paradie (RCAF) and MWO François Dutil (RCAF) - Paradie Archive (on this site), Jean Schadskaje, Major Jack O'Connor USAF (Retd.), Robert Gretzyngier, Wojtek Matusiak, Waldemar Wójcik and Józef Zieliński - 'Ku Czci Połeglyçh Lotnikow 1939-1945', Archiwum - Polish Air Force Archive (on this site), Anna Krzystek, Tadeusz Krzystek - 'Polskie Siły Powietrzne w Wielkiej Brytanii', Franek Grabowski, Norman L.R. Franks 'Fighter Command Losses', Stan D. Bishop, John A. Hey MBE, Gerrie Franken and Maco Cillessen - Losses of the US 8th and 9th Air Forces, Vols 1-6, Dr. Theo E.W. Boiton - Nachtjagd Combat Archives, Vols 1-13. Aircrew Remembered Databases and our own archives. We are grateful for the support and encouragement of CWGC, UK Imperial War Museum, Australian War Memorial, Australian National Archives, New Zealand National Archives, UK National Archives and Fold3 and countless dedicated friends and researchers across the world.
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